Premier Kathleen Wynne’s speech at the Liberal convention here last weekend was quite remarkable. The premier took the blame for the “mistake” of high electricity prices, admitted that people regard her as the type of politician who would do anything to win, and said she had given them reason to think that.

Wynne is embarking on a contrition tour to visit every riding in the province and hear what people have to say. She vowed to do better for the people who have been left behind and not listened to.

Acknowledging one’s own shortcomings is a clever strategic approach, even if well-known, but let’s assume the premier is serious and really wants to do better. People will only be persuaded by actions, not words. Here are six concrete things Wynne can do to rescue her premiership before the June 2018 election.

Wynne’s certainly on to something with her recent realization that the high cost of electricity is a financial burden for Ontarians. Her plan to reduce our bills by an amount equivalent to the eight-per-cent provincial sales tax will “save” ratepayers $1 billion a year, but it will mean either less service or more borrowing to cover that cost. Better to deal with our electricity surplus by arranging long-term sales to the United States and using the money to lower our rates.

If the cost of living is a concern, the premier should make her new carbon charges on heating fuel and gasoline revenue-neutral by reducing income tax by an equal amount rather than spending the money on yet more green plans. If people can’t afford today’s electricity prices, they certainly can’t afford to pay more for heating and driving.

Even though they are not her core voters, the premier needs to do something for rural people. Start by changing the education funding formula to allow rural school boards to keep small schools open. In the Upper Canada District School Board alone, the plan is to close 29 schools. These small schools are the lifeblood of their little communities. If Wynne’s government can afford more money to extend the contracts of well-paid teachers, surely it can afford to keep rural schools open.

Wynne should aggressively revamp Ontario’s embarrassing justice system rather than wait to react to yet more media revelations. The recent Ottawa case in which a man accused of murder was freed after four years waiting for a trial tells us there is something seriously wrong. Our courts are clogged with weak cases. According to Ottawa’s Macdonald-Laurier Institute, 43 per cent of charges are stayed or withdrawn, the highest percentage in Canada. Our local jail is a disgrace and it’s not the only one. Jail upgrades do not constitute the kind of exciting infrastructure spending Wynne’s government likes, but it’s the humane thing to do.

Wynne needs to get her act together on health care. She has poisoned the sector by cutting doctors’ fees twice without their agreement. Now, she is bringing in Bill 41, which will transfer responsibility for home and long-term care from the shaky Community Care Access Centres to the wobbly Local Health Integration Networks. The government will create 78 new sub-LHINs to handle the flood of bureaucracy. It will even try to oversee doctors’ clinics. How will this help patients? Doctors oppose the Liberal plan and the government hasn’t made the case for it. Is there one? Premier, if you want to listen to people, start here.

Finally, Wynne needs to back up her concern about being the kind of politician who will do anything to win. The day before she had her convention epiphany, a top Liberal strategist was laying out plans to demonize Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown during the next campaign. That would continue the same negative spiral that has turned Ontarians off politics.

The high road to re-election entails earning it through good policies and good management. The premier has a long journey to reach that goal, and the clock is ticking.

Randall Denley is an Ottawa commentator, novelist and former Ontario PC candidate. Contact him at randalldenley1@gmail.com

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